Category: Red

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. This Summer has been so busy I feel like I’ve been neglecting my blog responsibilities & dropping the ball on posting — really hoping August will be better for me! In the meantime, I dig into my stash to find a fun, Summer appropriate colour to share!

This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up.

3 coats + top coat

Pucker Up is a vibrant cherry red with a creamy crelly formula. By that, I mean it has both qualities but leans a bit more in the creme direction when it comes to finish. It did, however, take 3 coats for almost full opacity, but with the thin formula it didn’t take long to dry.

Using a quick dry top coat did help with drying, however it caused some serious shrinkage at my tips & around the cuticles that I’m not happy about.

We all know I love a good red nail polish year round — it’s usually my go to colour when I don’t know how to paint my nails. & this vibrant red is just perfect for Summer. I also think it compliments my skin tone very well.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up is part of the Xtreme Wear core line, so it’s available where ever you purchase your Sally Hansen nail polishes. I picked up my bottle at my local Walmart — I think it was something like 2 for $6 CAD which is a pretty good deal

What do you think of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up? Do you like this vibrant red? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & let me know what your favourite Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear shade!

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Dainty Red Dotticure ♥️

Good morning lovelies, happy Tuesday & happy July! We’re officially 1/2 way through the year, & that just seems insane to me. It’s officially Summer vacation for my kids, which means the free time to myself I have (when they’re not asleep) becomes much more limited!

So simple nail art becomes a bit more necessary. But simple does not need to mean boring, & I feel like today’s look is anything but boring!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie She’s Pampered
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen in pink
  • Color Club Top Shelf
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (tiniest size)

This beautiful polish is another thrift store score that I was not expecting, but I quite love. It looks much more pink in the bottle, but on my nail it’s giving all the way red. But I’ll never say no to a red nail polish — that is well established by now.

I added some pink polka dots over my base shade, with a colour sparkly ones just for fun! I think this look turned out chic & classic, but it’s also fun. From far away you get red nails, but up close you get the full fun look. & I love a nail art design like that! Polka dots were one of the first designs I ever taught myself, & they remain one of my favourites.

What do you think about this chic dainty dotticure? Are you a fan of a subtle look like this? Let me know what you think in the comments below & please — PLEASE — let me know any nail art looks you’d like to see me attempt!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY— OPI Big Apple Red 🍎

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! & happy early Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians. We’re looking at a very, very rainy Canada Day which is kind of lame, but that’s Nova Scotia for you.

I am very excited because I was at the thrift store on Friday & they sometimes have barely used nail polish there, so I always check it out. That’s when I stumbled across this beauty: this is OPI Big Apple Red.

2 coats + top coat

In a surprising turn of events, OPI Big Apple Red is one of those red nail polishes that I didn’t yet own. It’s a gorgeous cherry red nail polish, which a smooth application & cream finish.

According to Google, Big Apple Red was voted as the most iconic red nail polish of all time — so the fact I didn’t yet own this shade is actually a crime.

We all know red is definitely my favourite nail colour, & this is an absolutely stunning red. It had perfect coverage in two coats, which I’m all for when it comes to a red. It also garnered a ton of compliments & “nice nails” while I was at work, so that is always an indication of a beautiful polish.

What do you think of this iconic OPI red? Do you have Big Apple Red in your collection? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & what nail polish shade you consider “iconic”!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Infinite Shine I’m Really An Actress

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! Another beautiful sunny Sunday, which I will take after torrential rain yesterday (when I snapped the photos for this post FYI haha).

I haven’t really bought any new polish in a while, so I’ve really been trying to dig into my stash & pull out all the shades that I don’t wear very frequently ( or at all). As I’ve mentioned previously, I do have a lot of these mini bottles of OPI shades that I’ve scored at Marshall’s & Winners, so I thought I would pull one out for this weeks post!

This is OPI Infinite Shine I’m Really An Actress from the OPI Spring 2021 Hollywood Collection.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful reddish-pink metallic base is packed full of scattered holographic glitters. The formula was relatively opaque, which meant I only needed 2 coats for full coverage. I’ve seen swatches of the non-Infinite shine version of this polish, & it seems more red than mine, which is strange but maybe it’s just the lighting.

Close up so you can really see those scattered holo glitters. I tried so hard to get them to really show, but even using my flash for pictures it was not working. They are there, though, & they’re beautiful. I can’t believe I haven’t worn this shade more, especially since it’s a real upgrade from my usual go-to red nails. These feel much more glam & dramatic, which I like. I’m all about the glitter right now.

& in case you’re wondering, this shade is still in permanent rotation so you can also pick up the polish & add it to your stash! I found it available on TradeSecrets.ca, Chatters, Beyond Polish (regular formula) & the OPI website (regular formula).

What do you think of OPI I’m Really A Waitress? Do you have this shade in your collection? Like I said, I can’t believe I haven’t worn this shade more because it’s the perfect upgrade to my usual go to red manicure, so I might have to buy myself a big bottle of it for once my mini bottle runs out. I think this is going to become a Summer staple shade for me!

Have a lovely Sunday ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Icing Stores Chips n Dip

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! After some rainy & chilly days we’re finally back to beautiful sunshine, & I couldn’t be happier.

For today’s Swatch Sunday post, I decided to do some serious digging through my stash & found a very throwback shade circa 2013 (I’m guessing). I wanted something bright & vibrant & Summery, & I think that I was very successful.

This is Icing Stores Chips n Dip.

3 coats + Top Coat

This beautiful fiery coral applied in 3 thin coats, which usually would be a no for me, but because the formula is quite thin, it dried down very quickly so I didn’t have to worry about wait time — especially after applying a quick dry top coat. It’s a cruelly formula, definitely leaning more on the jelly side of that occasion which I like.

The colour is bright & I love that. I’m always drawn towards anything in the red or red leaning family, & this is a fantastic Summer option. Like could you imagine this as a pedicure colour? So perfect for the beach.

Look how bright this is! Definitely looking more on the red side in these photos, but the coral really comes through in person.

My only complaint — & it’s probably an issue due to how long I’ve owned this shade — is handle of the brushes on the bottles have kind of melted over the years so they’ve gotten really sticky & I absolutely hate it. Not sure what to do to fix the stickiness, so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know! Because I would love to use this shade (& others from this brand in the same style of bottle) but the sticky issue keeps me from reaching for them.

What do you think about Icing Stores Chips N Dip? Does this shade scream Summer to you as much as it does to me? Have you ever tried an Icing brand polish? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎